The Branded for Success book was written in 2007 by my wife and 2 of our colleagues. It’s purpose was to highlight my wife’s graphic design talent that could be leveraged for a business to get a successful brand. It has allowed the three authors to gain authority as branding experts since they are published authors on the subject.
Understanding of branding has grown and evolved over the last 18 years. The principles in this book are still applicable but some updating is necessary. This chapter discusses about being brand consistent over a number of products and pieces. Using our content transformation services, we will evaluate it to see that it is not outdated and irrelevant. This is our opportunity to update and supplement with necessary content that may have been missed when it was originally offered.
Since the book was written from a design perspective, this topic is important and should be determined after the foundational brand elements are completed first. New content will be added as necessary before we prepared for it’s new delivery. Since the repurposed content will be used for premium access content, I will provide summaries of the original text and the repurposed text. Also, when we are finished, the chapter divisions may not be the same, since this will not be repurposed into another printed book.
Summary of chapter 12 of the original text:
If you have multiple products, the best way to maintain brand consistency while distinguishing each product is to establish a strong, recognizable brand foundation and customize select elements to suit each target audience.
A great example is the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. All titles share a consistent layout, font, and name placement, preserving brand integrity. Yet each edition is tailored to a niche audience through changes in colors, fonts, and imagery that reflect the unique personality and mood of that market. For instance, softer fonts are used for family themes, while bold, vibrant colors appeal to youth. These customizations never conflict with the core brand, allowing the series to reach diverse audiences while remaining unmistakably part of the same brand.
Ultimately, branding is about integrity, delivering consistent quality and visual identity across all offerings, paid or free, so your audience learns to trust and value everything you produce.
Summary of the corresponding repurposed text:
If you offer multiple products or services, keeping your brand consistent while giving each offering its own identity is key.
The Chicken Soup for the Soul series is a prime example of how to do this well. Despite having dozens of niche-specific titles, the series maintains consistent branding. It does this through uniform layout, typography, and title treatment, while using tailored design elements, like unique fonts, colors, and imagery, to appeal to specific audiences. This balance of consistency and customization ensures brand recognition without sacrificing relevance.
At the heart of this strategy is brand integrity. Knowing what should stay the same and what can adapt is the key to this. A strong brand doesn’t just look cohesive. It consistently delivers quality and keeps its promises to its audience, whether the product is paid or free. To successfully manage a multi-product brand, start with a solid visual and tonal foundation, build in flexibility for niche appeal, and always prioritize clarity and quality. A scalable brand system and style guide can help every new product launch feel aligned, polished, and trustworthy.
Observations:
We can easily see the common traits between the original content and the repurposed version. The core message of brand consistency with the need for flexibility are clearly discussed. Both used the same example, Chicken Soup for the Soul Series. That book series has been successful and clearly demonstrate this principle. This was especially seen in the visual elements of the cover of all the books. Both pieces emphasized brand integrity as a pillar necessary to pull this off successfully. It highlights the elements of quality and trust that consumers look for in a brand/company. Some of the differences are more subtle. The repurposed version moved away from the conversational style to a more instructional mode. As expected, the repurposed content moved away from the design-centric to a more brand-whole position.
Final Thoughts:
Both of these are similar in many respects which signifies that the original content and its principles are evergreen. Therefore only minor tweaks and adjustments to style and word choice are needed. In branding, somethings stand the test of time because how people perceive and receive a company are universal in nature. This is the final entry of this case study. Now we will use the repurposed content in its new delivery setting. Since the original focus was on the design aspect of branding, there will be significant expansion on the rest that is needed for a successful brand.